


That Which is to Come

by DeadishScribe



Category: Arcade Spirits (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, Arcade Spirits - Freeform, Chronic Illness, Chronic Pain, Comedy, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Pain, Post-Game(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2020-07-09 18:37:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19892479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeadishScribe/pseuds/DeadishScribe
Summary: This is a series following my Arcade Spirits main character, Ryen Ader, post game. The new arcade is running well, things are getting back on track. Everything seems well... that is, until a dreaded foe appears, and Ryen must now not just fight for his life, sanity, and friends, but for the government itself. This is the story of not just a former floor attendant, but his family and how they will survive the coming storm.I plan on at least four chapters, if not more, so please keep tuned and enjoy!





	1. It Was Such a Lovely Day

**Author's Note:**

> Heeello! Welcome to my work set in the visual novel Arcade Spirits! This is a POST GAME fic, so beware, spoilers abound, and it is recommended that you complete the game itself and at least QueenBee's romance plot. There is a pseudo prologue to this work titled A Change of Pace amongst my other works. It's not required, but I'm proud of it and recommend the read!

I woke up earlier than usual, nearly as early as Juniper, which just about freaked her out of the flesh to become a Halloween décor skeleton. After the initial shock, she came galloping back from down the street to slip back into her skin suit, though admittedly she was still bubbling unadulterated enthusiasm that may have well flooded out the apartment windows had she not contained it. 

“Ryen! You’re awake, wonderful! I never thought I’d see the day. Is this going to become normal? I sure hope it does. How’d you sleep?” Juniper was being her normal self. Happy, cheerful, supportive. Unfortunately I think this was just a fluke on my body’s part. Damn biological inconsistencies. 

I gave a brief, “Slept well” before easing myself into the chair one ache at a time. My smile, however, was warm and genuine, despite the dull of my eyes. Or at least I hoped it appeared as such. Juniper took an extra moment, her glance hanging on me with a smirk at the corner of her mouth. Yep, she had always known I was just a tired @!#?@! in the mornings. 

She even brought over the coffee pot, a cup, and cream and sugar for my benefit, probably a reward for my early rousing. I keep trying to tell her that I can’t be trained like Pavlov’s dog. Certainly didn’t stop her from trying. The coffee helped though, and soon enough I was more than half dead. I think, never quite sure of that. 

“Lo and behold! As does Ryan rise, so the Queen follows!” Juniper was nearly as excited to see her as she was me. I was worried they wouldn’t get along at first, but they get along almost _too_ well. They even enjoy ganging up on me in bouts of teasing. Rude. 

“Morning, Juniper…” her gaze went from Juniper to me, then back to Juniper, then once again on me, “Holy @!#?@!, I didn’t expect to see you up!” 

“You didn’t notice me suspiciously missing from my spot?” 

“Well, with how much space there is now, I just figured you had rolled to the side… or had mysteriously transformed into some weremanager and began terrorizing the neighborhood” 

“Haha, so funny, I’m absolutely dying of laughter. No really, stop, I can’t breathe” I said, not at all sarcastically. 

My roommate simply grinned at us, wiggling her eyebrows a bit, “Oh, I see the lovers tried out the new bed~” 

Before I had a chance to respond to the comment, Iris was already buzzing my pocket to be unleashed upon the kitchen. I plopped her down—my phone really isn’t my phone anymore so much as it is her home—and she appeared in her usual, sort of pinkish-purple-whatever-color, “Heeello! No, they behaved, sadly” 

I’m pretty sure she could sense my glare entirely fixed on her, “I thought you weren’t snooping on us” 

“I wasn’t, promise! I knew there was a 98.76% chance you two were just going to snuggle, and I was right!” 

Uh huh, sure. She was a hell of a detective though, so it’s totally possible I suppose. Most of the time. She took liberties with her percentages and what they actually measured. 

Queen decided to bump back into the conversation as she sat down beside me. I could feel her stroke my arm ever so subtly, though it felt anything but subtle. Electrifying, rather, a much better wake up than coffee ever could be (no offense to Juniper of course), “He’s an utter gentleman, ladies, don’t you worry. Not unless I don’t want him to be that is.” Her sly smirk simply reddened my face as the other two giggled. This was beyond unfair at this point, so I tried to cough it away. 

“Ahem, so, uh… what’re your guys’ plans for the day?” 

“I’ve got some posters to spit and polish, shouldn’t be too laborious” Juniper said as she moved to the counter for her own meal prep. 

“Streaming, though probably later, I’m learning to live on my time for a change” 

“Following you around” Iris’ words were accompanied by silence before she cleared the air, “In a non-creepy, non-stalkerish way, of course” 

All I could do was give a sigh, “Riiight, well, you know where I’ll be, heading to the arcade” 

Iris cocked her head ever so slightly, “Ryen, didn’t you call in today?” 

“Huh? Oh, yeah. What can I say, I changed my mind-” I couldn’t help but shoot Tanvi a smile, “-feeling energized, I’ll take tomorrow” 

“If you say so, just don’t push yourself, or we’ll all have your head” 

“Thank you, Iris, that totally doesn’t freak me out about the encroaching AI apocalypse” 

“Oh relax, I did say _we_ , didn’t I?” That didn’t make it much better, but it was a sign of human-AI coexistence in a weird way. Perhaps they’d let us live as servants for them, our rightful overlords. 

After a little while, I got up and headed to my room, got dressed in my usual attire of cargos and my purple zip up sweater (don’t judge me for the cargos, they’re comfy and I dig the pockets, I don’t understand all the flak they get. And yes, I support pocket rights for all. Don’t get me started on the lack of pockets in women’s apparel, it’s appalling). Waving farewell, I picked up Iris as I went to the door. I could still hear the giggling from the remaining duo. Not at all concerning. 

I was feeling good today. No, not just good, not simply _great, but @!#?@! fantastic_. Even the commute was more tolerable as usual. Ms. Withers decided to share the cookies she baked for her granddaughter’s birthday. Sweet lady that one, always brings a smile to my face when we ride the bus together. The world could use more people like her. The second I stepped into work was interesting in and of itself. Naomi sprung up and down and up and down to greet me, not unlike a bunny, the little ball of energy. Gavin stood behind the counter with a little gleam in his eye as he looked to Naomi. Her enthusiasm was beginning to rub off on him, and his patience and business savvy her. Oh, how I love a happy family. 

“Hey there, what’s got you riled up?” 

Naomi took in a deep breath, “We got a package we got a package WE GOT A PACKAGE!!” 

My hands went up to defend against the assault of sheer joy. Despite my mood, I’m still not a morning person, “Slow down there, what’s so unusual about a package? We get them all the time.” 

“No no, you don’t get it—the thing’s a tall shipping crate labeled fragile!” I was still at a lost, and it must have shown on my face, “ _It’s a new cabinet _”__

__“Oh! I’m surprised you didn’t open it”_ _

__“Wouldn’t have felt right without you here, boss” spoke up Gavin from the back, “Y’know, your arcade and all. Plus it didn’t have a return address”_ _

__“No return address? That’s rather… spooky”_ _

__“You’re telling me”_ _

__Before I had a chance to continue, a crowbar was shoved into my hands. I always wanted to use one of these in all honesty. I bid Naomi to stand back, who knows what could be in the crate considering all the crazy @!#?@! that had transpired in the past several months. The face of the crate proved surprisingly resilient, but eventually it gave, hitting the floor with a loud smack. The sound did nothing to help the unease creeping from within, and I had to actively hold back from bouncing back into Naomi. The sensation was far too familiar, almost a radiating aura, but I couldn’t pin as to where I had experienced it before. Packing peanuts spilled out like a wave of the ocean and, to no one’s surprise, Naomi began to throw them about like confetti._ _

__I, however, was not at all thrilled._ _

__The marquee read a dreaded title; one I had hoped never to see again. One single word— ** _Polybius _ **. No. This can’t be. This absolutely cannot be.**__**__

_******** _

_******** _

__My feet couldn’t help but stumble me backwards, colliding me into the side of one of the other games. I didn’t care, nothing around me registered, only that damn thing. Naomi tried to steady me, help me stand straight, but to no avail. I wouldn’t respond. No, more like I couldn’t respond. I could see her mouth moving, forming words, but there were none to be heard. Even Iris tried to jerk me back to my senses. Nothing worked, and they began to fret more and more. Then walked in Tanvi. Her voice was the only one to make it past my ear and into my hollow brain. Slowly, surely, her hand began to drag my attention to reality, my head slowly shifting but with eyes that wouldn’t follow. Her other hand cupped my cheek and forced me to fully look to her._ _

__“Love? Love, look at me, please” the tone in her voice was unmistakable, though I’d rarely heard it before._ _

__Moments passed and my eyes finally rested on her. All I could do was blink in a vain attempt to clear something that wasn’t in my eyes to begin with. It was her thumb, stroking along my cheekbone, which finally urged me to speak, “I’m… I-I’m alright.”_ _

__“I don’t believe you”_ _

__“You should”_ _

__“Then where are you right now, what time is it, who’s with you?”_ _

__My lips were at a loss. Though images flashed through my mind, none stuck, and none reached my vocal cords for a long while, “You… and… Naomi? Gavin?” I failed to answer the other questions given to me._ _

__Ashley stepped from the back, chipper as ever, “Heya, guys, I’m here too-!” her words trailed off as she took in the weight of the situation at hand, “-ok, serious Ashley time” she took a few steps towards us, hesitating before joining the group, equal concern on her face to the rest of her cohorts at this point. At that moment, a woman dressed in all black, dark shades, and one of those little earpieces entered. A secret agent, _the_ secret agent, the one who had stolen the cabinet before Gavin and I had the chance to bid, collect, and destroy it. Arguably enemy number one after Deko Nami was out of the picture. Not that there was really a list to begin with. Her silhouette in the doorway was enough to rattle me back to the present, even if I were tunneling everything else out. _ _

__“ ** _You_**. You are not welcomed here, will never be welcomed here. Get out of my arcade, I’m not going to tell you again” my friends could do nothing but give me strange, inquisitive looks. What was I—almost the politest of this crazy hoard—doing speaking with such a tone, such a dagger like tongue, to a complete stranger? _ _

__“I can’t do that, no matter how much you command me to do so”_ _

__“Wanna bet?”_ _

__It was odd, from what little I saw of her, the expression on her face was always stoic, not a single betrayal of emotion. Yet there she was with a cocked eyebrow, “You’re free to try and force me out, but I can guarantee it won’t work in your favor” damnit, she was right. I felt rather foolish promising such a tiny threat, or rather bluff, to someone whom could most likely snap me in half seven ways to the weekend and back again. Not a good idea._ _

__I paused, thought, waited to regain my senses. She was more than willing to wait on my response, she had all the time in the world, “Alright, fine, you can stay. You could at least tell me why you’re here however”_ _

__The agent cleared her throat, “I was going to explain that if you had given me the chance” yet more embarrassment on my part. Fantastic, I was not on the winning side of this battle, “As I can see, you’ve opened the package-” I was beginning to hate how anything clandestine and unspecified was referred to as ‘the package’, person or no, “-I think you have some idea”_ _

__Now was my chance to square up, hold my ground, ensure that she cannot pass, “Enlighten me, because I see nothing but a hellspawn machine that deserves to burn eternally in a fiery pit in the depths of hell itself” the vivid description of torturing a cabinet made Naomi wince. Normally I’d be more wary of such things, but now was not the time. This was a matter of survival._ _

__“You’re more or less familiar with the system. If I have to spell out why both it and I are here, I will; frankly, you’re the only individual to survive using the Polybius system. More than just a certain pop star you encountered within”_ _

__At this point, I think everyone aside from the agent before us and I were confused. Alright, I was little lost myself. Government conspiracies are beyond me 99.9% of the time. They’re definitely keeping aliens at Area 15 though, Iris says so._ _

__“Alright, supposing that’s true, what is it exactly that you want me to do?” oh, how I love inadvertent rhymes._ _

__“Simple, I want you to play it again”_ _

__Wut_ _

___What_ __

__

__

__**_What_**__

_******** _

_******** _

__“Nope, nuh uh, no way. In. Hell.”_ _

__“You have no choice”_ _

__Instinct took over and my feet dragged me back once more. I wasn’t able to see the look in my eyes, but I knew exactly what the others saw—a wild, caged, cornered animal afraid out of its mind. The words from my mouth lost their punch, shrinking back just as I was doing, “No… No, you can’t make me. Don’t make me go back, I can’t, I can’t-” I rambled on and on and on, repeating those same words, “I can’t go back. I don’t want to go back. Please, don’t make me go back” all I was doing at this point was freaking out my friends, who were growing ever more bewildered._ _

__“As I said, you have no choice. I have a government order compelling you to aid us in this… endeavor. Classified, of course”_ _

__That set me off. I have had enough of people coming into my arcade thinking they can tell me what to do. Thinking they can just get away with whatever they pleased. No more. Now I could feel my voice rising, let alone the overpowering atmosphere of worry growing around me, “I don’t care. Get away from me and take that damn game with you. No force on this earth will get me to ‘play’ it, I _will never_ touch that _fucking_ thing _ever_ again!” that’s when everything fell dreadfully silent, and my rage bubbling up from deep within had finally unmasked itself. I had never sworn at work, much less around my friends. Not once. Tanvi and Juniper only heard when I was really excited or had stubbed my toe. That was on rare occasion. Never in pure, unadulterated, raging wrath. The fear in each of their eyes was staunchly apparent. Unfortunately for me, there’s no backing down, not that I could control myself at this point, “I will not tolerate such evil in my arcade. I will not tolerate it around my friends. I will not tolerate it around me. Leave, and never return” even as I spoke, my volume growing ever louder, the agent stood in utter silence, unphased and unmoving. _ _

__“I can’t do that” was all she spoke._ _

__“Like hell you can’t”_ _

__“My superiors won’t tolerate it”_ _

__“To hell with your superiors, I don’t give a damn!”_ _

__Naomi was growing increasingly uncomfortable, squirming, crawling out of her own skin. I noticed when Gavin stepped up behind me and placed a tender, but certainly firm hand on my shoulder, “Ryen, that’s enough, you’ve made your point”_ _

__It was only then that I felt the hot breath in my lungs release, a steam engine relieving the stress of strenuous labor. The sensation of shaking came soon after. Not of fear, or shame, but anger. In my mind I feel like I should be ashamed of the way I had behaved in front of everyone, but I’m not in my heart. Deep down, I’m just not._ _

__Trying to gain some composure and control again, I stand up straight, leveling my shoulders as best I could “I’m guessing this won’t be left alone”_ _

__“Let me put it in simpler terms. Either you can stay in the arcade with your friends and cooperate, or we can drag you off and you’ll never be seen again”_ _

__I paused, looked around at everyone, then back to the agent with another sigh as I pinched the bridge of my nose “Fine, we’ll role it on back. We can discuss this in length later I’m assuming?”_ _

__“That works for me, so long as you don’t back out”_ _

__“Fine, fine. Naomi, could you get the dolly out of the back please?” she simply stood there, mouth agape at the scene before her. That was when the guilt set in, the deep shame that welled up in pit the of my throat. I had always hated that feeling, then again, who doesn’t? I put them through all of this, and for what? Gavin gave her the same gentle touch he did me not long before, and she headed off back. She tried to load the machine, but I wouldn’t allow it. I won’t let anyone else become a victim. I loaded it myself, tilted it myself, and rolled it on back myself. Upon returning I gave them strict, unwavering instructions, ‘No one, absolutely no one, is allowed to touch that cabinet. Don’t look at it, don’t think about it, just leave it be’. I even took the precaution of covering it with a spare tarp lying about. I can still feel that tingle in the back of my skull to take that joystick in hand myself, and heavens knows Naomi would be the most curious of the lot._ _

__With that, the agent nodded, turned, and left us in total silence. @!#?@! asshole._ _

__I couldn’t stand to look any of them in the eye, not a single one, not even the person dearest to my pulsing heart still racing from whatever the hell just happened. This was such a lovely day, such a good day, am I really still stalked by the Ader family curse?_ _

__Another hand stopped me now, smaller this time “Ryen, babe… are you alright?”_ _

__“Would you be?” It’s apparent that those words stung more than I could have guessed as she looked to me. More sorrow, more concern, more worry, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”_ _

__“I know, love” her regard was enough to settle my nerves, the tension falling away as old, worn armor barely holding together, “I know”_ _

__There was no helping it now. My legs couldn’t hold me anymore, the only choice available to me was falling into her arms as a collapsed mess spilling at her feet. I used to be so much better at hiding these kinds of things, what happened? When did my guard drop? It never should have in the first place. Sob after sob, Tanvi held me, just held me. With a nod, everyone got the clue that I’d be alright and headed to the back room to give us as much privacy as the floor allowed. How humiliating. I’m supposed to be the staple of this arcade, the rock upon which everyone leans on. I filled the roll well until, why was it all changing?_ _

__It was such a lovely day, why did it have to turn into this?_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed this, please give kudos and/or comment! The encouragement means so much more than you know! 
> 
> And yes, as no one was wondering, I was indeed cackling both at my own jokes and the pain I am inflicting upon the characters, myself, and others. No, I don't apologize.
> 
> Love,  
> the Dead Dude


	2. That Which Surrounds Me

I stood there, making sure the thing was properly set up. I had to, Ms. Secret Agent Woman in Black said so. I still wasn’t entirely convinced, but again, she could break me to the point that I would never stand straight again, assuming I’d be able to stand in the first place. 

Do agents get called miss and mister? 

Of course, that wasn’t on the forefront of my mind. Even the cabinet before me wasn’t. In truth I was zoned out past the atmosphere and halfway to Mars. I’d always wanted to go, ever since I was a kid, but whenever I’d ask my parents, they’d find some way to let little eight-year-old me down gently, often times with a laugh or two. Maybe that’s where my humor coping mechanism came from. Oh to be young again. I never realized until I got older that the urge was, in some part, due to me wishing I could run away from the life we had. Always on the road, always moving, always changing schools, never staying rooted for long. Not an easy life for anyone, let alone a child. It was all in the past though. Not but a memory. Now I have a stable job, wonderful friends, a loving girlfriend; I’m happy, all things considering. What really got me was how life always had a catch. It always found a way to throw a big ol’ wrench into my gears and parts. 

Such as Polybius. 

Fucking Polybius. 

I felt my hands going through the motions. Checking the boards and wires, looking for any structural damage, plugging it—I was sure not to look at the screen though, let alone those damn buttons. They’d tempt me too much. As a solution, I put butcher’s papers over the controls and display alike. Seems to work well enough. I didn’t realize just how lost in my own little world I was until Naomi snuck in behind me. Well, she didn’t sneak in, I’m just oblivious a third of the time, “Heyo, boss, how’s it shakin’!” 

I’m pretty sure she saw my muscles leap from my skeletal structure, “Naomi! Jeez, didn’t see you there” 

“Sorry…” she seemed dejected, more dejected than I’d seen her before. Memories flashed of the day prior and I barely contained a shutter along my spine. 

“No, no, you’re alright! What’s, uh, what’s up?” attempting to chuckle it off appeared to cheer her up, at least externally. 

“Nothing much, I was just checking to see if you wanted help with Polyb-” 

It wasn’t a conscious effort. Words leapt from my throat with considerable force, more force than I’d ever intend, “No! I mean… no, it’s alright” despite my regaining control, she now looked even more dejected than a moment ago. Naomi shrunk in on herself, clutching an arm as she looked off to the side. I’m a piece of @!#?@!, I really am, “Naomi, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t yelling at you… I wasn’t trying to-” words no longer forced their way out, and instead decided to stick. My throat felt as a desert desperate for any sort of water it could get. 

“It’s alright, I understand. Polybius is a big deal to you, although I have no idea why, I couldn’t imagine what it may have done” she trailed off, still looking to the side. It hit me that I never told any of them the reality of the situation or what had happened. Even Gavin, whom had seen me running towards him pantless shouting like a mad man. I don’t think he ever wanted an actual explanation. I can’t blame him. 

“This doesn’t appear to be very healthy from the outside, does it?” I laughed out, leaning on a nearby workbench on both palms, “I feel like such an idiot. Really, I’m so sorry about, well, all of everything” 

A gleam showed itself back to her eye, “Thank you, I appreciate it. Are you ready to talk about… it?” 

No, I really wasn’t, not yet. Maybe with everyone at some point in the next few days, but not at the moment. She understood, fortunately, and didn’t press it much more. Her image of me must have changed a bit. There wasn’t anything definitive telling me, simply little things in her demeanor, the way she holds herself around me now. It seemed a little too much like when we first met. I didn’t care for it much, not that I could blame her. Shame wracked my conscience, my spirit, twisting and knotting as it saw fit. A rare sensation I wasn’t keen on experiencing in the future. 

“Naomi, really. Yesterday… yesterday, I wasn’t at my best” 

“We all have those days” 

“Not like that. That was totally unacceptable, and I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart. I promise it won’t happen again, and I promise I’ll control my volume better from now on too” 

My words struck a chord, a very positive chord. Suspense rolled off her shoulders that I hadn’t noticed before, “That means a lot, more than you might know” we both stood for a moment, just smiling at each other. What to say now was a mystery. Thankfully she had an idea, “I didn’t mean to intrude. I can leave if you’d like” It was a wonderful feeling to know she wasn’t asking out of fear of being around me, just personal consideration. I thanked her, giving her a quick pat on the shoulder before she made her way out of the room. Hopefully that situation was mended. If not, I could always focus on it in the future, she deserved that much. Naomi was a major back bone of the arcade alongside Gavin. Working together more and more, they’ve really become quite the dynamic duo, let alone power couple. More than that, however, she was a good friend, one whom had my back since day one. They all did really. The sentiment changed from ‘hey, the new guy’s pretty cool’ over time, however, to ‘we’re a family’. Ma and Pa may be gone, but I know they’d be happy with the people I’ve surrounded myself with, the hole I pulled myself from (with a lot of help obviously). Each moment they pass though my mind is another that tugs away at me though, another that wrings the pain in my heart. That pain had quelled over the years. Life’s a journey, no matter how small the steps may be. 

Again, I was so lost in my head that I didn’t notice a second person walk in, draping slender arms around my shoulders—Tanvi. She always knew how to make an entrance, even when they were subtle. 

“Hey, nerd, how ya doin?” 

“Oh, you know, making may along” 

“That’s Ryen for ‘I don’t want to talk about it but I don’t want to worry everyone so I’ll say I’m fine but reword it so people don’t dig too deep into it’, that about right?” 

“More or less. Just… need time to process, work a bit, though you certainly dug deep into it” 

“As your partner, that’s my job. You do realize that Naomi’s our foremost cabinet expert, yeah?” she said, referencing all the parts around us. 

I paused, looking at the machine. It dawned on me that since Naomi had left, I hadn’t really done anything, just stare at it and ponder on… things. The urge to humor things away arose within me, and as the weak-willed soul that I am, I obeyed, “Thought I’d try my hand at it, give her a run for her money” 

“Don’t you technically give her money, not the other way around?” 

“Heh, you got me there” my hollow laugh wasn’t fooling anyone, unfortunately, not even myself. 

“Ryen… You don’t need to say how bad this whole thing is, believe me, I saw just how bad it is” 

“You have no idea” 

A frown decorated her face as turned him to face her. She wasn’t appreciative of my barriers, “What is going on? I get how you feel but-” 

“But what, it’s just a game?” 

Tanvi stood straighter, eyeing me up and down “-yeah, actually, it is” 

My gaze turned away, though for what reason I don’t know. I thought this was all behind me, “Well, it’s not. Just isn’t.” 

“Then tell me. Help me understand, this isn’t like you” the concern on her face was ever growing, and in all honesty, it was starting to worry me as well. Desperation for an answer—any answer—shined in her eyes. But how do I even begin explaining this? Any of this? It’s not like I could come up with something on the fly. She’d see right through that anyhow. 

Taking a breath, I looked to her, a weary smile painting my lips, “It’s… more than I can describe here. Swing by my place sometime, maybe later today, and I’ll be able to tell you then” 

“You promise?” 

“Pinky swear” I said, raising said piking to wiggle in front of her nose, which she happily accepted with her own pinky and the slightest of giggles. 

“I’ll hold you to that-” unfortunately for her, I cut her off. Fortunately for me, it was with my lips. My free hand pulled her in by her waist, and when our big, dumb faces had parted, our foreheads pressed against the other. 

“I’m sorry about this, Tanvi, all of this. I know this can’t be easy” 

“It’s nothing, real-” she tried to finish the sentence, but again, I wouldn’t let her. 

“No, it isn’t, you can’t lie to me that easy. While it isn’t fair to you to have to deal with my problems, your support is appreciated more than you know, I can assure you of that” 

Tears sprung to the corners of her eyes, making me 99.9% certain (I’m starting to take after Iris a little much) I had screwed up. Again. That concern was alleviated, however, when she leaned forward to place tender kiss along my face, one softer after another until our cheeks hung together, “Thank you. No relationship is perfect, but this is pretty @!#?@! close” Now it was my turn to get mist caught in my eye. Unappreciated, but I didn’t let that on, simply wiping my face into her jacket, “Hey, watch it! This @!#?@!’s expensive!” 

We both fell into a fit of laughter, just holding each other in the moment. It was the little glimpses of happiness that mad up the larger whole, like the fine strokes of paint on a canvas. I never knew myself as one to be so poetic, but perhaps Tanvi brought it out in me. Another thing I loved about her, she drew the best of me to the surface. How’d I get so lucky? No, it wasn’t luck at all. Everything around me—my partner, my friends, my arcade—they were all the result of hard effort and taking chances. Sure, maybe luck had its part, but my determination was what set me on this path (not at all to leave out Juniper and Iris, I love them to death and couldn’t have done this without them). People always praise god, or the gods, or the universe, or some higher power, or whatever. In my opinion that just devalues the human effort. The blood, sweat, and tears (literally all three in my case) that went into each of our accomplishments. One’s faith is one’s own, but I’ll be damned if I let someone else take the credit… no pun intended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed this work, please leave kudos and comments! I'll make content regardless, but it's encouraging, motivating, and makes me want to work that much harder. Your support is more invaluable than you know!
> 
> This chapter ain't nearly as long as the last, but it's quality that matters, not quantity, right (Laughs in sorrowful trash)? Anywho, I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> Love,  
> the Dead Dude <3


	3. A Gift of Purple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unannounced, but certainly not unwelcome, guest drops by the apartment for a one on one heart to heart! Oh, where shall it go? What shall it lead to?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I know it's been a long while since I've updated, but chapter 3 is finally here, I hope you lot enjoy!

So there I was, standing in an open door, a face full of purple. Purple flowers, to be specific. Rather lovely, though a sight far more lovely stood behind them with a glaring grin, “Surprise! This is me, dropping by later, like you said.”

“With cargo in tow it seems”

“Yep yep!” she said, slipping past me, “It’s been a rough couple of days and I wanted to brighten them. If only a little”

I accept them with two welcoming hands after closing the door behind her. The thick, obtuse ceramic pot weighed a literal ton in my palms, staggering my arms a bit. Tanvi made it seem so effortless. Years and years of aggro will do that for a person I suppose. Its artisanal cracks stood out to me, kinda like a glade of grass lying beneath a set of trees. Those trees, however, were not green but purple (as previously stated). The outer ring was that of bellflowers, followed by a secondary ring of Lisianthuses… Lisianthi? Whatever, language is made up anyway. Finally, the center was that of a single orchid standing tall and proud in its beauty. My favorites. She had a hell of a memory. A hell of a heart too.

She giggled at my spinning and turning to find a resting place for the pot as if I were a Looney Tune. Eventually I was able to, of course, I wasn’t aiming on standing about to spin for all eternity. I’m not that much of a buffoon, no matter how much sense her presence removes from my noggin. There, settled. Maybe not in the perfect place, but I would find one with the consultation of the great and mighty roommate known as Juniper. Seriously, she has an eye for things. Probably one of the reasons why she’s such a great graphic artist. Ever since she began working, namely for Funplex Respawn, things have been going well for her. We get good business, yeah, but our good press endeared her to a lot of other places around town. She’s literally picking and choosing her own work at this point. Not enough freedom? @!#?@! ‘em. Too boring? Again, @!#?@! ‘em. Mind you, she’s not rolling in cash, but we’re certainly more comfortable than we were before. There’ve even been a few conversations about potentially upgrading pads.

“Where’s June-bug?” that was Tanvi’s main name for Juniper aside from, well, Juniper.

“Out for the day. Most of it, at least, she’s got lots of work and a few places she wants to stop”

That was met by dancing eyebrows and a less than well-meaning smirk, “Ohoho? Is that so? Plenty of time to ourselves then~”

“You’re a pervert you know that?”

“So are you”

I paused a moment, looking off to the side, then the other before answering, “Mm, fair enough”

I waved her further into the apartment, and she plopped down at the table with little worry. Tanvi was more than comfortable being here by this point, though that wasn’t always so. Before, she wasn’t a nervous wreck, but she certainly wasn’t calm and cool on the interior, though you’d never know it. She was more… unsure. Unsure of what to do and where to be. But she was always calm. She was good at the calm lake act. A master really, it’s still sometimes difficult to read her even for me. Percy helps me out on occasion when it really matters though. Fortunately enough for me.

“Did you guys… clean up? Like actually clean?”

I put my fists to my waist like Superman. I’m an adult, finally adulting, “Hell yeah we did, thanks for noticing. Team effort really.”

“You always say that, you don’t give yourself enough credit” she gave a smile as we looked to one another. A second of silence hung in the air before she continued, “I know this may be a bit odd”, oh, this was gonna be good “but I’m glad success hasn’t changed you”

“I could say the same of you”

“No, I mean with everything”

“Again, I could say the same”

She simply gave me a dejected groan, “No, no. Personality-wise, yeah, but how you didn’t just ditch Juniper the first chance you got for example”

“Why would I?” was she trying to say something about me?

“I don’t know… I’m probably projecting here, but I’ve dated a guy or two that would have. Did, in fact. Me or other people”

I nodded in my best sage impression as I sat opposite of her. Her fiery attitude sometimes gave people the wrong impression—that she was brash, that she didn’t have any insight. This was exactly opposite of the reality, “And you mean to say that they seemed fine at first, but later turned sour?”

“Yeah. I know for certain now that you’re different though. All doubts have flowed away”, a warm smile decorated my face, then hers “What? What’s that face for?”

“I’m just glad you think so highly of me. You’re more than impressive. More so than me, arguably. The endorsement of someone such as yourself means a lot”

“I wouldn’t drop you for the world, babe, never” her hand grazed along mine for but a moment, but that was all we needed.

I stood up, joints protesting as I made my way to the fridge. Orange juice? @!#?@! yeah. The glug-glug-glug of the jug never failed to entertain me. Call me a child, I don’t particularly care anymore. I live for those around me and myself now. The opinions of others didn’t hold nearly as much weight as they once did. Boy, how much of a difference did it make.

“I know. Still, you weren’t sure I wouldn’t run, did you? I guess me complaining about the Ader curse didn’t help. Sounds less than stable coming from anyone really” I said with a soft, knowing chuckle, more for myself than for Tanvi.

“Still on that, huh?”

“I’m just waiting for it to strike again… I’ve got a lot to lose”

“And what about me?”

“Especially you”

“No, I mean what about _me?_ What about the things I have to lose?”

I blinked, once, twice, and a third time. The orange juice threatened to spill over had I not stopped it. It was a thought that had never crossed my mind. For months—or has it been a year already—I’ve been so focused on keeping myself afloat that I’ve had little time or energy to think about the others as much as I would have liked. Well, that’s no true. I’ve helped them through a lot, and I’ve never neglected them—and we all came together for Percy—but my goals were often the forefront of my mind. Getting to a place. Getting out from beneath the shadow that has loomed over me for so very long.

“I… I never really thought of that”, I leaned against the counter to ponder.

“I’m not saying you’re selfish, Ry, I’ve never thought that in a million years. Quite the opposite really. What I am saying is that the ‘curse’ was… kinda an obsession. Close to it at least. I’d hate to see it swallow you up, to lose you to it.”

“Well… Erm…” I hate to admit it, but she’s not entirely wrong. Obsession is a tad strong in my opinion, but it’s often in the back of my mind. However, it was pretty prominent in my beliefs. One could argue it still is. I’m always bracing myself for the next disaster, even if it won’t be life shattering. Maybe that’s just how life is and I simply don’t wish to admit it.

Nah, the universe has it out for me, I’ve just become stronger. My power level? It’s over… well, we’ve all heard that joke far too much, never mind.

“I’ll give you credit, though; you’ve pushed passed it, and you’ve never put it in front of others or the arcade. I just hope you don’t let it consume you in the future if you relapse. I might be worrying over nothing, but I had to put it on the table… so to speak”

“No, it’s a valid concern. I know it might seem a little silly from the outside, but just as you said, I’m still fighting this shadow. I feel like it’s still hanging over my head.”

“If it helps, we can’t really tell from the outside”

“That’s a relief. Managers gotta at least appear strong, y’know?”

“Oh definitely… just don’t wear yourself thin with the strong act, yeah?”

I promptly ignored the concern. People? Worried? No sir, I don’t like it, no thank you, “Speaking of managing teams, how’s yours?”

Tanvi gave me another smile, propping her elbows on the table and her head on her hands, “Good. Really good, actually. Some are still a bit noobish, but they got enough skill to pull their own weight.”

“Excellent, excellent. The power couple ascends, eh?”

“@!#?@! yeah it does!”

I gave a chuckle as I plopped into a chair opposite of her. Not the best of ideas, more than a little painful, but I can bear it. Admittedly, I should probably sit down more carefully from now on, “Oof, nothing like good ol’ OJ-”

“-No one calls it that anymore-”

“-in the… wait, what time is it?”

“Two pm”

“Right, nothing like good ol’ OJ in the afternoon!”

She chuckled now, shaking her head slightly before leaning back. A somber expression painted across her face in the following moment. I couldn’t read the atmosphere to come, but it wasn’t good, “I don’t want to spoil the mood, but I think you know why else I came”

“Yeah… the whole freak out the other day”

“Yep”

“And Polybius”

“Yep”

“What about it?’

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, “Everything. Ok, maybe not everything, but I want to know enough to understand. You act as if it were a warzone, like you fought for your life against some cabinet” my pause of silence was her response, “@!#?@!, Ry, what happened?”

I struggled to speak for a long while, simply sitting in the quiet, “I _did_ fight for my life. Rather desperately, I might add. I didn’t know if I was going to make it out alive”

“But how does some stupid game pose that much of a danger?”

“It’s… it’s no ordinary game. I don’t know, it just sorta… sucked me in, like one of those movies where the characters enter the game”

“Bullshit—” Tanvi leaned forward, her face dropping soon after as she gazed off to the side, “—I’m sorry, I’m not saying I don’t believe you, it’s just a lot to take in”

Before I could say anything, Iris intervened, “It’s true, Queen. I was there. I provided as much support as I could. As soon as he touched the joystick, however, it was like he was in some sort of zombie daze. Nothing I said would get through to him. I had to catch his pants on fire to pull him out!”

Both Tanvi and I simply stared at her, “That really wasn’t necessary to mention”

“Not even touching on that” was all Tanvi said on the matter, “but, even so, what was so bad _inside_ the game?”

I leaned back sipping more of my OJ. Still delicious, but the conversation left a bad taste in my mouth all the same. Words refused to leave my lips for minutes. Fortunately, I think Tanvi understood. I hope she did, it was pretty apparent how heavy this all was. Honestly, if I were her, I’m not sure I’d believe a word of it myself.

It seemed an eternity before I was finally able to answer, “It turned me against myself” I’m sure my gaze was a thousand yards away by that point, but I carried on “It took all my fears and demons and threw them at me, trying to beat me down. It took control of my mind and body, gave me no choice but to play, and threw me into a personal hell… playing the game… playing the game… play the game… play the game… play the ga—” I carried on and on. There but not there. I couldn’t see either of their faces, but I’m certain they were filled with nothing short of terror. I know mine would be.

“Oh, not again. Ryen! Snap out of it!” once again Iris had come to my rescue (oh, what would I ever do without her?). I hadn’t even realized it.

“Yo, what the hell was that?!” Tanvi leaned forward again, but this time outstretching a hand in concern. I eagerly took it.

“Polybius. That was Polybius” my gaze remained far away, far past the boundaries of the apartment. We simply sat there for a few moments, brewing in what had just happened, “It tried to trap me… to keep me there… with _it_ ”

“Jesus…”

“You actually helped” my eyes finally snapped back to the present, meeting hers once again.

“I did?”

“Yeah. See, I kinda got you guys to help me. Personifications, I mean, probably drawn from my memories and whatnot. Gavin was a cleric for instance”

“And me?”

“Tank; agro, of course”

“Of course” she gave me a smug little grin and leaned forward, placing a tender kiss upon my lips, “I’m glad I could be of service. Was this before or after…?”

“Before we were dating. It was no small crush though, even then... I couldn’t have made it without you”

“You’re just saying that”

My hand reached out to hers, pulling her eyes to look into my own, “No, I mean it. I couldn’t have done it without you guys. You saved me.”

Her fingers wrapped in mine, “We may have helped, yeah, but you were the one who did the fighting. You were the one who beat it” I couldn’t keep my eyes forward. No matter how hard I tried, I looked anywhere else but her. “… You don’t think you can do it again”

Damn her.

“No”

“And why not?”

I pulled my hand from hers, standing to move to the window. I waited and tried to scramble together what reasoning I could, “I barely made it out last time. It took everything I had. Now I have to…” my voice was entirely unwilling to cooperate and decided to catch itself in my throat, “… I have to go back. Maybe more than once. How can I do it? How could I ever do it? How—?”

What conscious vision I had began to blur. Tears. Great. I hate tears. All I could do was turn, repeating the question. Tanvi rose, easing herself to me before embracing me as closely as one could imagine. Just like back at the arcade. We slowly collapsed to the ground. I had lost control. Again.

I hate this.

Eventually we part, her sitting against the fridge as I lie back against the wall, hands clasping my head as I pressed it backwards against the cold of the building. We sat there for a good long while, unsure of what to do, unsure of what to say.

“Y’know” I paused for a long while, but she waited for me all the same, “you said some pretty great things. In Polybius, I mean”

“Oh? Do tell”

I straightened up, now resting my arms on my knees, “One of my opponents was… well, let’s just say myself. You helped me defeat all that negative self-talk. You were supportive, and caring, and kind… well, actually in a bit of a hardass way, but a loving hardass”

Her foot my own, “See? I meant it when I said just call me if anyone gives you @!#?@!, and I meant _anybody_ ” she said with a wink.

I returned it with a smile, “I know, thank you… even a world away, you were still there for me”

“Aw, kid, shuddup or you’ll make me all misty!”

“I thought we agreed you’d stop calling me kid? Unless you want me to keep calling you Queen”

“No! No, that’s alright”

“As I thought” the smirk on my face was all I needed to do to earn another nudge, this time a tad rougher.

We looked at one another for a long while, simply drinking in the moment. There was no awkwardness, no dread, no anxiety, merely love and compassion. Love and compassion which culminated in us leaning into a tender kiss, our lips meeting ever so earnestly. We were loathed to part but we did so anyhow, if for no other reason than to breathe. Air is important or something like that. Not that we separated very far anyhow. We were still shoulder to shoulder, heads touching. For a moment I thought I was going to fall asleep against her until she spoke.

“This was good for you… for us. This was good for _us_ ”

I pulled away, looking into her golden eyes. Honey. They looked like swirling, glistening honey. How appropriate, “Now that you mention it, yeah, it was. Air some things out, find solid ground again, all that—” our silence resumed, and we were content on just looking at each other until I decided to speak again, “—thank you. Really, thank—”

Tanvi put a tender finger to my lips, smirking all the while, “You seriously need to stop thanking me so much. This is what people do for those they love. I’m here for you, and I always will be for as long as you’ll have me, y’hear?” I gave a basic nod and she leaned up to place another kiss upon me, this time on my forehead. This was the Tanvi only I ever really got to see. I mean, maybe Percy, they’re rather close, but not like this. This is how we are, us and us alone, and I wouldn’t have it any other way… well, perhaps one day.

I leaned my head back once she had her way with me, pressing it against the wall once more. This time she knew something was up. She had an extra sense for it or something, “Babe, what’s wrong?”

My eyes closed before I spoke, I couldn’t bear to look at her for whatever reason, coward that I am, “It’s the family curse thing from before… it’s still bothering me”

“Lay it on me, what’s wrong”

“Welp, it’s still a thing, I know it. I can feel it.”

“Ry, you can’t keep—”

“I can if it’s a pattern, right? There’s a difference between coincidence, happenstance, and destiny. Things may be good, but the storm has to break occasionally.”

“And you think that break’s over”

“Probably, yeah, with everything that went down with Ms. Secret-Agent. I won’t be saying anything to the crew just… I don’t even know where I was going with this—” I said, giving a disheartened chuckle, “—life keeps kicking the shit out of me, like a puppy, and I can’t ignore it forever”

My eyes may have been closed, but I could still feel her gaze on me, “Ok, alright, let’s _assume_ you’re cursed—you’re not but I’ll bear with you on this for the moment—so what?”

My head rose, my eyes cracking open to meet hers, “‘So what’? That’s it? ‘So what’!?” I had to pause, gain control again. Raising my voice would do nothing, and it wasn’t her fault. None of it was, “I mean… If I am cursed, then I’ll just…” I paused, unsure how to continue.

“Just what?”

“Deal with it, I guess. Like I always have.”

“That’s right, you’ll deal with it. _We’ll_ deal with it. Together. You, me, June-bug, our friends, the entire arcade. You’re not alone anymore. You may be cursed, love, but you’re far from helpless now. It won’t be easy, but you can do it; I know you can do it.”

I pulled her into me, tapping our heads once more, “Like that one Beatles song, _With a Little Help from My Friends_ ”

“Dear god, please, no more of your ancient music tastes!”

I turned to her, smirk on my face, “I have a turntable and some old vinyls if you’d like”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was fun, if challenging, to write. Had to figure out how to get it just right, and I've had some of my own life challenges at the moment. I can't say when the next chapter will come, but it'll probably be another few months. I'm sorry for the delay!
> 
> If you enjoyed this work, please leave kudos and comments! I'll make content regardless, but it's encouraging, motivating, and makes me want to work that much harder. Your support is more invaluable than you know! Feel free to share with your friends even!
> 
> With much love, happy holidays!  
> Sincerely,  
> That One Dead Dude


End file.
